Above: Monreale offers a sweeping view of Palermo from the mountains to the sea.
The immensity of the 12th-century Benedictine cloisters adjacent to the Cathedral of Monreale is best grasped when viewed from the church roof. Walking around the monastery’s inner courtyard, graceful arches supported by pairs of delicate columns evoke a sense of intimacy.
The craftsmen erecting these did not apply a cookie-cutter approach to their construction process. I don’t believe the figurative designs of a single capital is repeated, and many columns boast colorful mosaic inlays. Perhaps these were meant to entertain restless monks not always keen on completing the requisite number of daily contemplations.
Continue reading “Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Architectural and actual gems of Monreale”
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